Chal Chaliye’s Kiss with the Censor Board

At a time where kisses have become the norm in Hindi cinema, filmmaker Tanmay Agarwal was stunned when he was asked edit out two kisses in his upcoming film Chal Chaliye. In an email to his supporters and journalists, he clarified that the kisses in his film were justified and required. Naturally he was upset at the request, “Shocked, because I thought that the shots were necessary in the context that they appear, were handled sensitively and were restrained. But primarily because kisses seem to be raining aplenty in films, in this otherwise parched monsoon.”

This is not the first time the film maker has had problems with the Censor Board regarding his films, his previous documentary film, Final Solution ran into similar waters, he went on to explain, “However the film escaped unscathed and was partly responsible for the reforms that came to the censor board around then.” With regards to his current film, he explained, “Chal Chaliye is a harmless love story about a boy proclaiming his love to his childhood friend short of her wedding to a third person and the consequent turmoil that the girl faces. Considering that it is such a harmless and oft explored theme, I was surprised at the boar’s reaction to the very sections of the film that form the turning points in story.”

Looking for help from the public, the film maker is requesting viewers to email him after viewing some clips of the film with their thoughts. He will be polling together all the numbers and thoughts before presenting it to the Indian Censor Board. He closed by saying, “Many of us have run into similar situations with the censors. I appeal to all of you to open up the debate on censorship once again. It is the season of change. A new wind is blowing on the oceans of Indian cinema. Let the breeze air the halls of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. I have put up a Chal Chaliye website to highlight the case in detail and the attendant issues surrounding censorship in India. Clips from films and articles on the issue of censorship are integrated into the site. There is public poll seeking your verdict on Chal Chaliye.”